Don't Leave Me
by tai'sgirl23
Summary: Yami’s always been tough. He’s always been strong. But without Yugi, he’s nothing. Puzzleshipping oneshot


-1_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of the characters. _

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"**Don't Leave Me"**

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A small gasp escaped Yami's lips as a painfully cold chill ran down his spine. He straightened his back, his head lifting away from his hand.

"Something's wrong…"

Gracefully, he rose out of his throne and descended down the few stone steps that led to it. His footsteps echoed around the dark throne room as he walked over to the heavy door. Pulling it open, he stepped out into the endless corridor, vaguely registering the countless doors that littered his soul room in the Millennium Puzzle.

Yami wondered down the corridors, climbing up and down the stairs that seemed to defy gravity, all the while trying to work out what was wrong. The puzzle seemed…_darker_ than usual, even if his soul room did boarder the Shadow Realm. Still, Yami was used to the coldness that resonated from the darkness of the shadows. Being that he was a being of darkness himself, he could not feel the cold.

But today, something was different.

The coldness was chilling against his skin. It crept up his body, taking a hold of his heart. The darkness had only ever been this strong once before, when the puzzle had not been solved. Although Yami had no memories of that time, his heart still remembered the lonely coldness.

"Something's missing…" Yami pondered to himself.

Because, indeed, something _was_ missing. Something that made the puzzle whole and in balance. Without this missing element, the darkness was stronger than it should be.

So what was missing?

It had to be something connected to light, because that was the only thing that could conquer the darkness. As Yami continued to wonder through his soul room, opening doors here and there, he tried to pin point what was needed to control the ever increasing darkness. Just what was missing from the puzzle? It was something…something pure, something innocent. Something completely opposite to the cold, lonely darkness that Yami felt now. It was something close to him, something that he didn't want to lose. But what-

The darkness gripped his heart tightly.

"Aibou…"

Yugi.

Yugi was missing. If Yami was the darkness, Yugi was the light. He was the pure, innocent aura that was missing from the puzzle, causing the darkness to take over. But, how was the possible? Yami couldn't exist without Yugi, right? Yugi was the one that solved the Millennium Puzzle and brought Yami into this world. So without him, Yami shouldn't even _be _here. So Yugi couldn't be missing. He just couldn't.

But the thought would not leave Yami's mind. He looked up at the darkness that hid the ceiling of his soul room and called out, "Aibou?"

He waited. His voice echoed all around him, but he did not receive a reply from his hikari.

"Aibou?" Yami tried again, a little louder than before. "Aibou!"

His pace quickened dramatically. His feet knew the way to Yugi's soul room, and that allowed his mind to concentrate on more important things. Like where was Yugi?

"Aibou!" Yami tried again, breaking into a fast run. Still, no reply. "Aibou!"

He reached the edge of his soul room, his body bursting through the door that exited out of the dark room. He stopped in the middle of the corridor that separated Yami's room from Yugi's. Yugi's door was closed. Yugi _never_ had his door closed. Not unless he was too far away from the puzzle for their mind link to work. But Yugi _never _left puzzle. It was always by his side. Always.

Clenching his teeth, Yami charged forward towards Yugi's door. He raised his fist, and brought it down on the door.

"Aibou!" Yami shouted through the thick door. He waited for a reply. "Aibou, are you in there?" He placed his ear up against the door to listen. There was no sound coming from inside. "Aibou!"

Yami hit the door again, harder than before. His heart was hammering fast. He placed his hand on his chest, feeling as if a cold hand was slowly squeezing his heart. He knew what this feeling was. He had felt it before. It was the painful guilt he felt whenever he was unable to protect Yugi. The pain that he felt whenever something had happened to his hikari and he didn't know if he was able to save him.

"I can't lose him," Yami said desperately to himself. "I can't…"

He raised his head up and hit Yugi's soul room door again. "Aibou! Aibou, _please _answer me!"

He kicked the door in frustration. He ignored the shooting pain up his leg. He leaned forward, resting his head on his fist that was still touching the door. His other hand came up and gently touched the cold door, hoping, _praying _to feel just that tiny bit of warmth that meant that Yugi was there. But all he felt was coldness.

"Aibou…" Yami said quietly, closing his eyes. "Where are you?"

He kicked the door again. He wasn't giving up. Not yet. Not when there were still options left. Coming away from the door, Yami stood up straight, taking a deep breath. Yugi might not be in his soul room, but he might be near the puzzle. He closed his eyes, focussing his mind on the powers contain with the Millennium Puzzle. Drawing that power towards him, he manipulated it so that it allowed him to appear transparently outside the puzzle. He had done it many times before. This time should be no different.

But as he tried to use the powers that he had used so many times before, he found that he couldn't. He couldn't manipulate the puzzle's magic, and soon felt it rushing away from his body, back into the deep darkness of the puzzle.

"No!" Yami tried as the power left him. "No! This cannot be happening!"

In a panic, he left the corridor and re-entered his soul room. But he soon stopped again.

"The doors…" he gasped, his gaze wondering over the infinite number of doors that littered his soul room. There were more of them now. More dead ends and endless corridors. But why? Why now? Was it because of Yugi? Was it because he was so worried about Yugi and didn't know what had happened to him? That must be it. These new doors had been created out of his worry of Yugi.

"Aibou!" Yami called desperately into the darkness. He ran forward, not knowing which doors led where or where he was going. All that mattered to him was finding Yugi. "Aibou!"

He blindly ran forward, turning this way and that. He screamed out for Yugi, hoping against hope that nothing had happened to him, that nothing had happened to his light. He had to find him. He didn't care how long it would take or what he would have to do. Finding Yugi was the only thing that mattered to him. Without Yugi, he couldn't survive.

But the darkness was growing. Without Yugi's light to keep the puzzle in balance, the darkness was quickly engulfing the puzzle. Yami's soul room was now almost completely dark, the only faint light remain being around Yami's body. As Yami turned a sharp corner, he stopped suddenly. He couldn't go any further. The darkness was too strong, too powerful. This soul room had almost completely vanished into the darkness.

Yami let out a scream as he felt something grab his leg painfully. He looked down to see the thick darkness crawling up his legs, holding him to the ground. He tried to move his legs, desperate to break free. But the darkness was true strong and continue to crawl up to his waist.

Being a creature of darkness himself, Yami tried to use his powers to fight it off, demanding, asking, _begging_ the darkness to stop. But it would not listen. It tightened it's grip around Yami's chest, squeezing it tight.

"Aibou!" Yami cried out. He wouldn't give up. He couldn't give up. Yugi was still missing, and Yami had to find him.

"Aibou!"

He just _had_ to find him. Even if the darkness was around his neck, slowly cutting off his air, he refused to give up on his light. He couldn't betray him again.

"_Aibou_!"

Nothing remained of his soul room. It, only with Yami's body, had all been absorbed by the uncontrollable darkness that refused to stop. Yami couldn't breath. The darkness was suffocating him, slowly killing him. With his last breath, he screamed:

"AIBOU!"

Yami's eyes flashed open as he bolted up right. He panted heavily, the cold sweat trickling down his hot body. He clenched the soft sheets in his hands, his knuckles turning white.

Wait a minute.

Sheets?

Hadn't he just been in his soul room?

He looked down at his bare chest. The puzzle wasn't there. It was still sitting beside his bed, where he had placed it the night before, because he could never get any sleep with the puzzle pocking into him.

"A…dream?" Yami muttered to himself, still panting. His hand slowly came up and placed itself around his neck. Everything had felt so real. There was no way that was a-

"Yami!"

Yami looked up in a daze to see Yugi bursting into the room, running to Yami's side. He fell to his knees beside Yami's bed. Worry was etched in his face. But that did not damage his beautiful face.

"Yami," Yugi said quickly but kindly. His heart was racing in his chest from panicking. He reached up and held Yami's hand. It was sweaty in his grip, but he didn't care. Just touch Yami's skin sent excited shivers up his spine.

"Ai…bou…" Yami spoke in a daze, as if he could not comprehend the heavenly sight before him.

"Are you okay?" Yugi asked his darker half lovingly. "I heard you scream and I thought-"

He was unable to finish. Yami's embrace had taken him by surprise. With the hand that Yugi help on to, Yami had gently pulled Yugi forward, lifting him up from his knees slightly. He had thrown his arms around his hikari, pulling him as close to him and humanly possible.

"Aibou," Yami chocked, the tears that he had help back for so long finally beginning to break free. "Aibou!"

Yugi did not question why Yami was holding him, or why he was crying. He was not like that. His arms came up around his darker half. One wrapped themselves around Yami's strong waist, the other going up to gently hold his head. He pulled him close, comforting him, gently placing his head on his chest. Yugi closed his eyes and smiled gently. He tenderly ran his fingers through Yami's hair to sooth him. Hair that was so much like his own, but so different.

"Shh…" Yugi soothed. "It's okay…"

Yami clenched onto Yugi's shirt that he always wore to bed. He never wanted to let go. Never.

"I thought I'd lost you," Yami managed to say, the tears still streaming down his once proud face. "I thought you were gone! Don't leave me Yugi…I can't survive without you…Please, don't leave me…Don't leave me…"

He couldn't survive without Yugi. Yugi was his light, his soul, his life. Yes, he is the darker half Yugi's soul and was only able to live again because of Yugi. But Yami _needs_ Yugi. Not because Yugi allows him to live again. But because Yugi _is_ his life. Yugi is his love, forever and always. And if that love, that light, that life, is taken away from him, Yami would never, _ever_ be able to survive.

He needs Yugi.

"…Don't leave me…"

Yugi stopped stroking Yami's hair, his hand slowly moving down to join the other. He held Yami close, afraid that he would lose him.

"I promise I will _never _leave you, mou hitori no boku."

Yugi would never leave. Yami meant more to him than life itself. Yami _was_ his life.

He needs Yami.


End file.
